TRANSMISSION . Transmission coolers for all Toyotas ... Write up with many pictures

I've noticed a 20-30 degree drop in temps after the 4454 Tru-Cool install. I just bought the OEM engine oil cooler kit and plan on installing that myself here very soon. Should be relatively easy.

 

I did that on a car before it is really easy if you do it at the filter. I never ran it long enough to see a difference though.

 

Derale cooler with a fan, fan doesnt do much while crawling since its trying to move dead air/grille space is so big. Works well with 37s/stock diff gears, usually 100 degrees above ambient temp daily driving. Can still work the temp up to 220 or so while beating the crap out of the truck in the rocks, but takes alot to get there. Will probably add a second cooler next spring. Dont mind my ugly front end

 

how important is it to flush your new cooler before install? Shouldn't it be flushed and cleaned before shipment?

 

Mine wasn't. And no where in the instructions does it say to do so.

 

okay thanks. I'll make sure to pick up a flush today. Should be able to install it this week.

 

I didn't clean mine or have my shop do it. I'm fairly certain they clean them before they send them out. It came with the ports protected with rubber caps

 

That's why I was thinking I wouldn't need to. I misread your first response.

 

I just dumped a bit of atf through

 

Yea I figured when you mentioned getting flush. That's why I retyped lol

 

Very nice set up. Who did you get it from?

 

Hi Gearcruncher, Tell me if I screwed this up. I changed out the stock tranny cooler with a Tru-Cool because I am now towing around a 4Klbs trailer on the weekends. I live in South Texas which goes from frickin hot in the summer to freezing cold in the winter (short winters however). I meant to order the tru-cool 4454, but I guess I mixed it up and ordered the 4544. The weather was still nice out when I installed it (not too hot) and I noticed the temps stayed around 170 up to 205. As the temps dropped, I thought everything would be fine because I understand this type of cooler doesn't fully open until it reaches operating temps, and then it opens up all the way. So, while it is cold outside I assumed I would see the temp climb up to around 170 and then watch it drop as the fluid runs through the entire cooler. Right?! At 55 degrees outside, This thing never gets above 120 -130! Is this temp to low? I thought the optimum operating temp for the fluid and the tranny was around 170 degrees. Do I need to block the cooler with something to allow the fluid temp to come up? Thanks for all your help.

 

My 4454 does the same. He's told me it's pretty normal to be 30 degrees cooler than what it was on average.

 

Thats a good question many guys from Alaska and Canada ask all the time.
A lot of this is explained in post # 1
What are you using to view transmission temps ?
I think as long as you are changing out your transmission fluid at regular service intervals , you will be fine .
Transmission fluid will jell up at 50 below zero . You dont neet to worry about jell resistance to flow at 120 degrees . Are you starting to see more fuel consumption in the mornings ? The computer in your truck wont let the transmission upshift into 5th gear and it wont let the converter lock up until you reach operating temps .
If your transmission is going into 5th gear and lock up perfectly fine , dont worry bout the cooler temps you are seeing . You are extending the life of the trans fluid . What temps do you see when towing ?
You will need the heat in the transmission to build up and cook out any condensation once in a while . That being said , it wouldnt hurt to hit 175 a few times just to verify you are getting rid of condensation .
There are demulsifiers in fresh transmission fluid to assist with water removal .

 

Oh wow, that's an import note (You will need the heat in the transmission to build up and cook out any condesnation once in a while . That being said , it wouldn't hurt to hit 175 a few times just to verify you are getting rid of condensation). I mounted this in Sept. while it was still hot. I towed and I don't think it went much over 215 at most. Basically I got it because of the summer heat. Didn't think about the winter cold! I use an Ultrgauage to check temps. I'm already getting about 7 to 8 mph and really don't know if it's gone down more. On cold days while driving w/o the trailer, I'm not sure how to get the temp up to 175!? I need to take the truck for a drive and monitor the temps. I hill in a hilly area. What should I try while driving? I'll pay attention to see if fifth gear engages while warming up.
Just took it out on the hwy here in the hill country:
Outside temp: 28 degrees
Drove a total of 34 miles, most all on the hwy.
Got up to 70mph and the truck stayed in 4th, so I moved the gear lever from 5th to 4th and back to 5th and the truck shifted up to 5th gear.
Floored it up a long hill and was doing 80mph in 3rd gear. The temp went up to 38 degrees.
The highest temp the tranny hit on this run was 144 degrees.
The avg. temp was around 128.
Hwy avg. speed was 75mph.
Again, I thought the Tru-Cool tranny coolers had a feature in them that acts like a thermostat. Meaning the tranny oil ran around the outer diameter until the fluid reached 170 before allowing the fluid to run through the whole cooler?!
Let me know you thoughts and anything else I should try to get the temps up to the fluids operating temp.
Obviously, this is an extra cold week for everyone but we do get times here when the temp drops into the low 30's and I don't want to hurt this transmission.
Thanks again for all you input.

 

The way I think about it is, you're only seeing the temp in 2 locations. Supposedly the TC and the pan. Fluid is fluid you're gonna have temperatures in the fluid reach up to a certain point and creep through the radiator and cool down regardless of what the thermometer reads.

I just took my truck on a road trip to Florida and back and up 95 coming back home my temps were around 160 then 150 then 140 down to 120 once I got north enough where the outside temps kept the trans temp down with the cooler. I was traveling about 80mph the whole way. 4 people in the truck with probably 200 pounds of luggage in the bed.

If you tow a lot, which it sounds like you do, your cooler is doing God's work keeping that fluid cool so it doesn't wear out.

 

With this cooler, I'm not planning to change the fluid out for another 100k miles

 

A couple variables
Did you allow the engine to warm the transmission up before you moved the truck ?
True cool coolers still allow fluid through the cooler but there is a thermostat ( heat spring ) that opens wide once the transmission is at operating temps . That heat spring still allows some fluid to circulate through your aftercooler
A chunk of cardboard goes a long way .
Not sure of your mileage , but are you sure your engine thermostat is functioning properly ?
I would pay close attention to engine temps for the next few days . Hows the heater work in the truck ? Toyota heaters are too hot . Gotta turn them down after a 15 minute drive .
When its 50 below zero where I live , I get 5th gear and converter lock up 5 minutes into my commute . I allow my truck to warm up before departing mind you . If I jump in a drive without warming up , I have zero power steering lol
I highly suggest using " common sense " when operating your vehicle

EDIT : I lied guyz
I would never jump in and go at 50 below zero . Fully synthetic fluids and 2 block heaters .

 

Good read, as always. I knew ATF could be overcooled but had not heard 170-175 as the optimal temp range.

Watching the pan temp on my ScanGauge for a long time now, I find after about half an hour on the highway everything has reached an equilibrium and temps generally remain stable for the rest of the drive.

With my driving style and truck, this is consistently an average pan temp about 100*F above ambient. Living in Maine, that's several months of trans temps in the low 100 degrees range. Less on shorter drives. Wonder if I should consider blocking off the stock tow package cooler during the colder months to boost the ATF temps a little?

 

A chunk of cardboard in front of the factory transmission cooler or for that matter in front of an aftermarket transmission cooler will truly help your engine and transmission warm up quicker . I think its a great idea .
Not only is your engine going to warm faster , but your transmission will also warm sooner resulting in better fuel economy .
Under ideal conditions , transmissions enjoy hovering near engine temps